South Korea's air force has formally apologised after a government audit confirmed that two F-15K fighter jets collided mid-air in December 2021 because pilots were taking personal photos and videos during a formation flight near Daegu, a major city in the country's southeast. The incident caused approximately 880 million won (around $600,000) in damage, though both crews escaped without injury.

According to a report published this week by South Korea's Board of Audit and Inspection — the state's top auditing body — a wingman pilot had announced before the flight that he intended to photograph the mission to mark his final deployment with the unit. While the formation was returning to base, he began filming with his personal mobile phone. The pilot of the lead jet, aware of this, asked another crew member on board to film the wingman aircraft in return. The wingman pilot then abruptly climbed and banked his jet without clearance in order to present a better angle for the camera. The sudden manoeuvre brought the two aircraft dangerously close. The lead jet attempted a rapid descent to avoid a collision, but the wingman's tail stabiliser struck the lead aircraft's left wing before either crew could fully react.

The audit board placed primary responsibility on the wingman pilot, who has since left the military and taken a position with a commercial airline. He had initially been ordered by the air force to repay the full 880 million won in repair costs, but appealed, triggering the audit board's investigation. The board ultimately reduced the fine to 88 million won — one tenth of the total — ruling that the air force itself bore partial responsibility for failing to properly regulate pilots' personal use of cameras during flights. The board noted that in-flight photography was "a widespread practice among pilots at the time" and that the wingman pilot had a strong prior record and handled the return of his damaged aircraft competently.

The wingman pilot argued in his defence that the lead aircraft's pilot had effectively consented to the risky manoeuvre by initiating his own filming. The audit board's report did not indicate whether any disciplinary measures were taken against the other pilots involved.

The case highlights a tension between informal military culture and flight safety protocols. The air force acknowledged the lapse publicly, saying it is tightening in-flight safety rules to prevent similar incidents. For a military that operates some of its most sophisticated aircraft — the F-15K is South Korea's primary air superiority jet — the episode has raised pointed questions about discipline and oversight at altitude.